2016 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 11
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
A RESOLUTION
To commend outstanding educator, Sandra McCalla, EdD, of Shreveport, Louisiana, for her
many contributions made on behalf of public education and to congratulate Dr.
McCalla upon her well-deserved retirement after fifty-five years in the education
profession.
WHEREAS, in June 2015, Dr. Sandra McCalla announced her retirement from
Captain Shreve High School after a stellar career as a teacher of mathematics for ten years,
as assistant principal for two years, and two terms as its principal; she has amassed over
thirty years of devoted service to the institution whose annual enrollment tops twelve
hundred students; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla postulated that her responsibility as an administrator has
always been to be the best educator possible for every student at every opportunity and she
felt an obligation to provide inspiration and encouragement for her students that they would
develop a lifelong interest in mathematics and would master a useable skill set of math
proficiency in everyday life; and
WHEREAS, Sandra McCalla possesses a gracious demeanor and a keen intellect and
holds exceptional academic credentials having earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics
from Northwestern State University, a Master of Arts in mathematics instruction and
curriculum with computer science enrichment from the University of Northern Colorado,
and a Doctor of Education in educational administration from Texas A&M University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has been the recipient of several outstanding fellowships
for her scholarly pursuits that include the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Public School
Administration Scholarship, and as a finalist for the T. M. Stinnett Academic Fellowship
Award from Texas A&M University and as a Danforth Foundation Fellow; and
WHEREAS, during her interim away from Captain Shreve from 1988 until 1994,
Sandra McCalla held an essential leadership position at her alma mater, Northwestern State
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University, as dean and professor of its College of Education, director of its Louisiana
Principal Assessment Center, and director of Louisiana LEAD, an enhanced certification
program for school administrators; and
WHEREAS, during this time, Dr. McCalla also acted as an educational industry
specialist for IBM and taught college-level mathematics as an adjunct professor at Louisiana
State University Shreveport; and
WHEREAS, for over five decades, Dr. McCalla has applied her tireless work ethic
for the benefit of public school students throughout Caddo Parish and the state of Louisiana
with improvement in classroom instruction and, in particular, enhancement of school
administrative leadership capabilities; and
WHEREAS, the ascent of Dr. Sandra McCalla through the hierarchy of secondary
education has precipitated a myriad of recognition and awards for her competent leadership
skills; and
WHEREAS, at the state level, Dr. McCalla has been named on several occasions as
Principal of the Year, High School Principal of the Year, and Principal of the Year by the
Association of Student Councils, and was selected for the Leadership Louisiana Academy;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has witnessed advancements in educational practices
during her career and implemented numerous innovations in mathematics instruction; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has lent her innovative talents to include participation in
the Louisiana High School Redesign Principal Leadership Team, the School and District
Accountability Commission, Louisiana Tech Educational Leadership Program of Studies,
LSUS/Caddo Parish School Board Partnership Task Force, the Task Force on Secondary
Alternative Certification, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Louisiana
Middle School Journal, and the Committee for Improvement of Educational Leadership in
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has also held membership on the boards of the Louisiana
School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts, the North Louisiana Regional Service Center,
Louisiana Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, High School Literary Rally, and
the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, District 2-AAAA; and
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WHEREAS, at the national level, her expertise has been recognized by the National
Association of Secondary School Principals, the Dean's Academy of the American
Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Phi Delta Kappa Honor Fraternity, the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics, and the United States Department of Education that ranked Captain Shreve
as one of the top one hundred outstanding public secondary schools in the nation; and
WHEREAS, throughout her lengthy career, Dr. Sandra McCalla has received copious
awards and citations far too numerous to count; however, some noteworthy accolades
include the Path to Excellence Award for Outstanding Student Achievement from the
Alliance for Education, the Life Service Award from the National Parent-Teacher
Association, and inclusion in the Hall of Distinguished Educators in the College of
Education at Northwestern State University; and
WHEREAS, in her hometown of Shreveport, Dr. McCalla has been honored as the
Caddo Parish School Board Educator of the Year in both the teaching and administrative
categories and has served the community as a board member for the YWCA, KDAQ Public
Radio, The Extra Mile organization, Volunteers of America, and the Shreveport Women's
Commission; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has served as a special education advocate in conjunction
with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and functioned as consultant to the
Acadia Parish School Board, the National Review Panel for the Coca-Cola Scholars
Program, and the National Honor Society; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla is most praiseworthy for her exceptional dedication to the
teaching profession, a vocation that resonates in every fiber of her being, for her intense
involvement in improved scholastic achievement, academic excellence, mathematic
curriculum development, and enhanced administrative leadership in secondary education;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra McCalla has proved to be an educator of boundless energy
and ability, a person of great empathy and vision, and a teacher whose devotion to education
has been a priceless gift to the public school system of Caddo Parish and the state of
Louisiana.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Sandra McCalla, EdD, for her many contributions
to further the pursuits of mathematic education and school administration and hereby
recognizes her for a lifetime of devotion to the education profession.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. Sandra McCalla leaves an indelible mark
on the character of those students and faculty with whom she has shared a lifetime of
learning.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. McCalla experience great success in all her
future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Dr. Sandra McCalla.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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